“Where do you normally walk her?” he asks as soon as we’re on the sidewalk in front of the building.
Pointing to the left, I say, “There’s a trail a bit down the road this way.”
The sidewalks are crowded on both sides, which is unusual for this time of day. But if I’m not mistaken, there’s a car show this afternoon a few blocks up, so that’s probably where everyone is headed.
Neither of us says anything for a few minutes as we walk. He’s got his dark, tattooed hand wrapped once around Nova’s leash as she walks beside us. I can smell his rich cologne from here. It’s annoying how good it smells.
We make it onto the trail. I love this place; it’s the perfect walking area. It’s covered in trees, so even when it’s hot out, I’m sure it’ll be nice and cool. I’ve run into a lot of other dog owners on this trail too.
Mateo clears his throat after a while, and I feel more than see him glance over at me. “So, I’m cashing in on our bet.”
Snapping my head in his direction, I ask, “What bet?”
“The one from the snowstorm,” he grumbles. “The date.”
“You can’t be fucking serious.”
“A bet’s a bet,cariño. I won fair and square. Time to pay up.”
Annoyance flares in my chest as I roll my eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
I can’t believe I’m even entertaining this.
“My sister, Ally, is having her engagement party this Saturday. You’ll be my date.”
“What?” My voice goes up at least two octaves, my chest tightening. “I’m not meeting your fucking family.”
“Yes, you are,” he replies sternly, leaving no room for argument. “A deal’s a deal. It’s a couple of hours, free food, and free booze. I think you’ll survive.”
“Why not bring someone who actually wants to go with you?”
“Because it’s a week away, and I don’t feel like finding someone.”
“So, why bring a date at all?”
“Why do you ask so many fucking questions?” he retorts. His body visibly stiffens as we walk, and there’s a bite to his words that wasn’t there a moment ago.
“I’m just trying to make sense of why you would bring some random dude to meet your family.”
“None of your fucking business, okay? Will you just do it?”
It’s right there on the tip of my tongue to say no. Truthfully, I’m under no obligation to hold up to my end of the deal if I don’t want to. It was a dumb bet anyway. But there’s something about the faint sense of desperation to Mateo right now, how he’s almost pleading with me in not so many words, that has me folding.
“Fine,” I mumble. “What time is it, and what do I have to wear?”
“It starts at six. It’s at her fiancé’s parents’ house on the other side of town, so we’ll leave around five-thirty. You can wear slacks and a button-down shirt. It doesn’t have to be overly fancy or anything.”
“This better not be awkward,” I grumble.
Mateo’s body language is so different than it was a few minutes ago. The shift is obvious. His words are clipped, shoulders are damn near up to his ears, and his knuckles are white from tension as he holds Nova’s leash. There’s clearly more to the story and more on why he is having me come, but I don’t have time to analyze it any further.
“Travis?” A voice I’d recognize anywhere reaches my ears as a hand comes to my shoulder from behind, stopping me in my tracks. Ice runs through my veins as I turn around, coming face to face with the jackass who broke my heart. “Thought that was you. Hey.”
The easygoing grin on his lips pisses me off. Like running into each other is a joyous event. It’s not.
“Hi, Nathaniel.”
Nova, the traitor she is, wags her tail and rubs her head against the side of his leg. He reaches down to pet her as I glance over at Mateo, who’s looking at Nathaniel with angry, narrowed eyes. His jaw is clenched, nostrils flared.
